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   UP A TREE

 

 

 

 

 

ONE TIME THERE WAS A BUNCH OF US HUNTING IN ROBERTSON COUNTY BETWEEN FRANKLIN AND BRYAN IN EAST TEXAS.  WE HAD SET UP CAMP IN THE EDGE OF SOME WOODS AT THE FRONT PART OF OUR LEASE.  WE HAD FOUR TENTS IN A SEMI-CIRCLE AROUND THE FIRE PIT.  THERE WERE A COUPLE OF LARGE LOGS ABOUT 10 FEET LONG PULLED UP CLOSE TO THE FIRE PIT TO SIT ON.  THERE WERE FOUR LOG SECTIONS 24 INCHES LONG SET UP ON THEIR ENDS TO SIT ON ALSO. 

 

EACH NIGHT AFTER SUPPER THE HUNTERS WOULD SIT AROUND THE FIRE DRINKING COFFEE AND TELL ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES OF THE DAY.  ON THIS PARTICULAR EVENING I HAD MADE COFFEE IN OUR TWO GALLON BLUE GRANITE COFFEE POT.  IT WAS GOOD STRONG BOILED COFFEE.  NOW MAYBE YOU HAVE NEVER MADE COFFEE OVER AN OPEN CAMP FIRE.  LET ME TELL YOU HOW I DO IT.  PUT THE POT OF WATER ON THE FIRE . THEN FILL A SOCK WITH ONE HEAPING TABLESPOON OF COFFEE PER CUP OF WATER, ADD AN EGG AND TIE IT.  CRACK THE EGG INSIDE THE SOCK AND MASSAGE IT INTO THE COFFEE.  ADD THE SOCK TO THE POT AND BOIL FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES.  REMOVE FROM HEAT AND YOU HAVE A PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE.  BY THE WAY IT’S NOT NECESSARY, BUT IT’S BETTER IF THE SOCK IS CLEAN.   EVERYONE HAD HIS COFFEE AND WAS SITTING AROUND THE FIRE RELAXING.  THERE WAS NO TALK AS EACH WAS LOST IN HIS OWN THOUGHTS.  I WAS SITTING ON THE GROUND LEANING BACK AGAINST ONE OF THE LOGS STARING INTO THE FIRE.  THE SWEET SMELL OF PINE TREES WAS ALL AROUND.  THE MOON WAS IN ITS LAST QUARTER AND WAS ALMOST DOWN. THE STARS WERE SO BRIGHT THEY LOOKED LIKE YOU COULD ALMOST TOUCH THEM.  THERE WAS NO BREEZE AND THE SMOKE FROM THE FIRE ROSE STRAIGHT UP.  WAY OFF IN THE DISTANCE I HEARD A HOOT OWL GO HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOAAA.  THEN I HEARD THIS BIG SIGH FROM RICK WHO WAS SITTING NEXT TO ME.

 

I ASK RICK WHAT WAS WRONG?  HE DIDN’T ANSWER RIGHT AWAY.  HE GOT UP AND REFILLED HIS COFFEE CUP AND CAME BACK AND SAT DOWN ON THE LOG.  THEN HE ASKED ME IF I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BOTTLE OF “TINKS DOE-IN-HEAT” SCENT.  I ASKED HIM WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT.  “NOTHING” HE ANSWERED.  “I JUST DON’T INTEND TO USE IT ANY MORE.”  THIS WAS STRANGE BECAUSE YESTERDAY HE WAS TELLING US ABOUT HOW GOOD IT WAS.  I ASKED RICK WHAT CHANGED HIS MIND ABOUT '‘TINKS".  “WELL I GUESS I’VE GOT SOMETHING TO TELL YOU ABOUT TINKS.” HE SAID. 

 

HE HAD PUT A FEW DROPS OF ’’TINKS DOE-IN-HEAT” SCENT ON THE PADS YOU TIE TO YOUR BOOTS.  THEN EACH TIME YOU TAKE A STEP YOU LAY DOWN A SCENT TRAIL.  AS HE WALKED TO HIS BLIND AT THE EDGE OF A FIELD HE WAS LAYING DOWN A SCENT TRAIL WITH EACH STEP THAT WOULD LEAD A BUCK TO HIS TREE.  HE CLIMBED UP IN THIS BIG OAK TREE WHERE HE HAD A BOARD NAILED BETWEEN TWO LIMBS TO SIT ON,  ALONG ABOUT DAY-BREAK HE LOOKED BACK ACROSS THE FIELD WHERE HE HAD WALKED TO LAY DOWN A SCENT TRAIL THAT WOULD LEAD TO HIS TREE.

 

A HERD OF SANTA GERTRUDIS COWS WERE FOLLOWING THE SCENT TRAIL. THEY HAD THEIR NOSES TO THE GROUND AND WERE TRAILING THAT SCENT JUST LIKE A PACK OF HOUNDS.  THE CLOSER TO HIS TREE THEY GOT THE STRONGER THE SCENT GOT.  THE STRONGER THE SCENT GOT THE MORE AGITATED THE COWS GOT.  THEY FOLLOWED THE SCENT RIGHT UP TO HIS TREE.  NOW IT IS A GOOD THING THAT THE OLD OAK TREE WAS PRETTY GOOD SIZE BECAUSE SEVERAL OF THOSE OLD COWS BEGAN TO BUTT THE TRUNK OF THE TREE WHERE THEY COULD SMELL THE SCENT ON IT FROM WHERE HE HAD  CLIMBED UP THE TREE.  “THOSE OLD RASCALS WOULD LOOK UP AT ME AND I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT I DIDN’T LIKE THE LOOK IN THEIR EYES” HE SAID.

 

RICK SAID HE DIDN’T KNOW IF ANY DEER CAME WITHIN HIS RANGE OR NOT BECAUSE HE SAT UP THERE FOR HOURS WATCHING THOSE DARN COWS WAITING FOR A CHANCE TO ESCAPE. WHEN THEY REALIZED THAT THEY COULDN'T GET TO HIM THEY JUST LAID DOWN TO WAIT HIM OUT.  THAT’S THE REASON HE DIDN'T COME IN FOR LUNCH.  HE SAID HIS HUNGER PAINS CAME AND WENT BUT THOSE COWS HELD HIM HOSTAGE IN THAT TREE JUST LIKE A PACK OF HOUNDS TREEING A COON.

 

 WELL ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON THE COWS FINALLY GOT UP AND WONDERED OFF.  RICK SAID HE HELD TIGHT UNTIL THEY WERE OUT OF SIGHT BEFORE HE GOT DOWN AND BEAT A HASTY RETREAT TO CAMP.  HE HAD LONG SINCE THROWN THE PADS AWAY SO THE COWS WOULDN’T FOLLOW HIM BACK TO CAMP.  HE SAID IF I WANTED THE BOTTLE OF “TINKS” I COULD HAVE IT BECAUSE HE WASN’T EVER GOING TO USE IT AGAIN.

 

ABOUT THAT TIME THAT OLD HOOT OWL WENT HOO-HOO-HOO-HEE-HEE-HEEEEE.  I DIDN’T KNOW IF HE WAS CALLING HIS MATE OR LAUGHING AT RICK’S STORY BUT ONE LOOK AT RICK’S FACE CONVINCED ME I DIDN’T WANT TO LAUGH.

 

BY THIS TIME THE FIRE HAD BURNED DOWN TO A SOFT GLOW AND THE COFFEE POT WAS EMPTY EXCEPT FOR THE SOCK.  A COUPLE OF THE GUYS HAD ALREADY GONE TO THEIR TENT AND CRAWLED INTO THEIR BED ROLLS.  I TOLD RICK THANK YOU BUT NO THANK YOU ON THE ‘TINKS”.  I DON’T LIKE BIG SANTA GERTRUDIS COWS.  WE SAID GOOD NIGHT AND WENT TO OUR TENTS TO CRAWL INTO OUR BED ROLLS.  I DIDN’T KNOW IT AT THE TIME BUT I WAS GOING TO HAVE NIGHT MARES ABOUT SANTA GERTRUDIS COWS THAT NIGHT.  BUT THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.

 

THE LAST THING I REMEMBER BEFORE GOING TO SLEEP WAS HOW QUITE AND PEACEFUL IT WAS AND THEN WAY FAR OFF IN THE DISTANCE I HEARD A COYOTE SINGING TO THE MOON.  THEN A COYOTE ACROSS THE RIVER ANSWERED HIM.  THEN THE OWL JOINED IN WITH HIS HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOOAAA.  THE CRICKETS WERE SINGING ALONG WITH EVERYTHING ELSE.

 

GOD WAS SMILING DOWN ON US TONIGHT

 

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  BY LOREN MOORE

COPYRIGHT 2003

 
 
 

LOREN

 GOTTA GO - SEE YA

 
 
 

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